Days of Future Passed
by Peregrine2
Summary: The suspicious death of a friend brings Cassie back to Chance Harbor.
1. Chapter 1

Days of Future Passed-Cassie/Adam/Jane/Sam-T

Summary: The suspicious death of a friend brings Cassie back to Chance Harbor.

[Jane]

"Tell me about Great Grandma."

"She was very brave and strong."

"Like you?" I ask, knowing full well what her answer will be.

She smooths my hair. "More like you, Jane."

I hardly care that I share Great Grandma's mane of famous red gold curls, or that we have the same name. But even more than that, I have her power. I'm not sure Mom knows the extent of it, and it scares me. She always cautions me to respect and never misuse it, though I know she's abused it herself. Dark magic ages you, and seems to sap your sanity away each time it's used.

Mom would never say this, but I have seen it. I know she killed John Blackwell, and God knows how many other people who later came for her, wanting to steal it all away. And each time she's vanquished our foes, but part of her dies a little when it happens. I don't want to repeat her mistakes, because it lives in me too.

I peer through my mess of curls at my cracked mirror and wonder where my blue grey eyes come from. Certainly not from Mom, whose cerulean blue eyes challenge the sky itself. So they must be from my unnamed father, the one she never talks about. But I know it happened in high school, for Mom was barely 30, and could have passed as my sister. In fact, judging from my frown lines, I would soon get away with posing as her Mom.

She never talks about him, or any of the others in her Circle. But I learn things in random bursts, as her memories spill out and are eagerly lapped up by her nosy daughter, who thirsts for any tidbit that floats her way. I know her love for him is unchanged, but I never get the slightest hint of his face, for she blots him out as quickly as thoughts of him rise to the surface. And it's all pain and suffering, for I know what she sacrificed when she gave him up. Could he have regained his memories, and is yearning for her at this very moment? I extend myself, trying to pull him into focus even as she shoves him back into her memory box.

[Cassie]

My daughter thinks I don't know what she's doing, but I get it. I know her in ways unimagined, for she is me at the same age. I am exactly twice her age, yet mired in the past. I can only think of him and my breath catches, and I dare not utter or even think of his name, for she'll know in a flash. Not that she won't know the moment she lays eyes on him, for she is his mirror image. I couldn't imagine a more beautiful child, with Grandma's coloring and his eyes of ever changing colors. Eyes whose colors change with her moods, mercurial as they are. She is so much like him it's scary, there's not a doubt in anyone's mind when they see her. Sally and Melissa are the only ones who know, and they've been sworn to secrecy. I've grown to love them both as family, the sisters I never had. Melissa is a landscape gardener who moonlights as an herbalist, and is permanently entrenched in Salem to my north. Diana never resurfaced since that last time I saw her, and nobody has a clue where she is. I suspect my talented daughter could find her with a locator spell, but that's beside the point. And far as I know, the others are still in Chance Harbor. Faye and Jake have three towheaded boys with one near my daughter's age, and I don't know about Adam. Sally gossips, and says he is fast. Those are her grandmother's words, but I know what she means. After his marriage to Melissa failed, he started sleeping around and has never looked back. His father is happily married to my cousin Sam, and they have three daughters of their own. She is pregnant with her fourth, and I am secretly envious that she has snagged Adam's sexy father. Yes, I know exactly what my Mom saw in him, as I saw the same qualities in his equally hot son.

Sally likes to prime me with information, from the fact that Adam works out regularly and is seriously ripped. His hair is longer than he used to wear it, and he loves to charm the ladies with that slow smile that used to twist my insides. She recently sent me a text message with his photo, and I remember feeling hot and bothered seeing him shirtless on the beach below the pier where we used to make out. The rush of pure want scared me, and this was only a photo. God, I had to stay away at all costs, lest I make a total fool of myself over someone who'd forgotten everything we once had. That I remembered it all so vividly only added insult to injury.

[Adam]

The moment I heard the news, shock overcame me and I stumbled. "It can't be true," I said to my Dad in disbelief.

Sam came up and touched my shoulder. "I'm afraid it is."

Sally Matthews was dead, run over by a semi on the main road in town. "It can't be. She would hever…"

"Son, it wasn't suicide."

Not suicide, what did that mean? "How?"

Sam sighed. "It seems she was pushed into the street."

"Accidentally, right?"

My Dad shook his head. "There were a lot of people getting out of school and someone rushed at her."

"Did they catch him?" It had to be a guy, because what kind of woman would do something to one of Chance Harbor's most beloved teachers?

Sam said, "Nobody saw anything. It was over and done in an instant."

Which meant it had to be magic, and not the good kind. The Balcoins were still out there, hiding in the shadows. When Blackwell died, the four of them flitted away like ringwraiths. Without their sire around to underwrite their dirty deeds, there was no point in staying. But maybe things had shifted in their favor and they were back in action. "We have to call Cassie," I said hoarsely, "She'll know what to do."

Sam's mouth opened in protest but then she remembered. "Of course. She'll want to be here."

Cassie and I hadn't spoken in 17 years, but there wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think of her. Me, the guy who was hexed by Blackwell to forget, remembered it all. Dawn Chamberlain had spilled her guts one night in a drunken haze, and it all came flooding back. Damn! The way I had turned my back on her...the way I took up with Melissa...and the way I let that damned skull obsess me until we finally destroyed it...I had a lot to answer for.

[Sam]

I was a liar. I hated liars, so how could I lie to Ethan? He was a grandfather, and I'd deprived him of that for the last 17 years. How would he react when Jane came to light? It was bad enough that I'd kept this from Adam, but keeping it from my husband whom I adored? Thing is, he might understand the pact of the Blake witches. We kept trouble contained, and that baby had been trouble for Cassie from the get go. And now? She was a free spirit, power emanating from her in waves. She broadcasted it to everyone on a psychic wavelength, which included pretty much everyone in Salem and she'd light up the wharf in Chance Harbor. I wasn't sure where that strong personality came from, although that red-headed troublemaker Sibyl Balcoin came to mind. No telling when that bad penny would turn up, but she had a way of showing her face at the worst possible time. So I expected to see her any day now, poking her nose in where it didn't belong.


	2. Chapter 2

2

[Jane]

I was sitting in school when the news hit me. My head was filled with number crunching as I sped my way through my trig test and it was hardly subtle when Sally's face slammed into mine. Pain and confusion rushed through me, and I saw it play back like a slo-mo video. Nobody noticed my high respiration rate as I shot to my feet and asked for a bathroom pass. My classmates at Salem Academy were used to my odd behavior and barely noticed as I stumbled through the door and out into the hall.

_No accident, Jane._

"Sally?"

And then there was blackness, no white light at the end of the tunnel. At that moment, I spotted the assistant principal headed my way. "Jane? Your mother's here to see you."

I followed her blindly, hardly believing what I already knew was so. Mom touched my shoulder and I felt like I was sinking into molasses as she hugged me. No tears dotted her face, but I saw them threatening to spill out as she released me. "You saw it, didn't you?" she asked quietly.

My only response was a nod as I blew my nose.

"Was it an accident?"

The moment the asst. principal turned away, I whispered, "You know the answer to that."

Her features twisted as she weighed and measured her thoughts. "Yes, I suppose I do."

"And you'll go to them?" I didn't just mean for the funeral.

Mom sighed. "I am bound...I need to know the truth."

"And what truth is that?" I felt I had to play devil's advocate.

She started to smile, then thought better of it. "I'll know when I get there."

There was far more going on than her best friend's death. "You'll let me tag along?"

It wasn't a question. "Only for the funeral."

"Mom…" I started to protest but the sharp shake of her head checked my words.

"It's not safe," she replied.

I rolled my eyes. "You always say that."

We'd never get to Chance Harbor at this rate. "And you know I'm always right."

"Does Melissa know?"

Mom nodded. "She's flying out with us."

"When does that happen?"

"Tonight. We're taking a red eye out of Logan."

"And now?"

"We get ready. Get your things and I'll meet you out front."

Getting ready for us had little to do with packing clothes and everything to do with the Balcoin grimoire she kept hidden under the floorboards. They had come for it twice, and she'd managed to hold onto it through two house fires and three stints in the hospital. Mom was tougher than she looked, and I knew she was a serious badass under that American Girl exterior. But I was the sum of all my powerful gene donors, and I kept that under wraps as well. If Mom knew that I'd memorized that dangerous book plus our own family's Book of Shadows and maybe a dozen other arcane books in hidden libraries throughout Salem, she'd probably freak. I knew all the warnings about dark magic, but I had it under control and didn't abuse it. The good kind of magic also came easy to me, and I helped Mom reap and sow her nursery plants. We were in this together, just like she always reminded me.

[Cassie]

As the plane descended toward SeaTac, my hands started to shake. I'd made it through nearly the whole flight before my emotions caught up with me, and when they did, it was pure hell. I wasn't blissfully asleep like Melissa, and I had no books to bury my face in like Jane. 17 years, 5 days, and 10 hours since I had last been here. We'd been invited to stay with Sam and Ethan, but I'd quickly invited myself over Melissa's house. She had a ton of room, and we wouldn't be stumbling over one another in the dark. Whereas Ethan's house was filled with tiny girls and the possibility of seeing Adam before I was ready.

The next few hours passed in a blur, and before I knew it, we were pulling up in front of Melissa's family home. Her Dad welcomed us with outstretched arms, and after a hearty meal that I scarcely touched, we were whisked upstairs to the guest rooms and I sighed in relief when I was alone. I moved outside to the balcony and barely felt the cool breeze as I stared out onto the bay. The lights from the Boathouse were still blazing, and I could feel Adam's essence, blazing like a supernova. Did he feel it too? Was there some tiny piece inside him that _remembered_?

[Adam]

I closed up the Boathouse early to join my Dad and Sam for dinner. As I stepped toward my ancient Jeep, I felt a rush of energy jolt me into stillness. My mouth opened as the feeling stayed with me, suddenly familiar and feeling like home. "_Cassie_," I whispered, knowing she was finally here. _Why _was I feeling this? It had all vanished with the curse, and I'd gotten used to its absence. I moved a few steps closer to my car but stopped when someone stepped in front of me. It wasn't so dark that I didn't instantly recognize Sibyl Balcoin, her wild red hair waving in all directions. Dark, spooky eyes bored into mine and she moved a step closer.

"Do you remember?" she whispered.

"_Remember_?" I echoed stupidly.

She circled around me and raised her nose as if to sniff the air. "I see. The spell holds."

What the hell was she going on about? "I don't…"

Sibyl's hand chopped down impatiently. "You _will_."

She was gone as quickly as she'd appeared, and I finally made it to my car, completely baffled by the whole exchange.

[Sam]

I hadn't seen Jane since her birth, but her resemblance to both Adam and her great grandmother was eerie. Cassie looked the same, but the stress of being who she was had caught up to her. Fine lines were etched around her sky blue eyes and her forehead shows signs of frequent frowning. I suspected the word happy wasn't part of her vocabulary, and the stress of being here was evident. She sighed before accepting a hug and handed me a tea mug while we watched Jane inspecting the back garden, much like her namesake had done all those years ago.

"She's extraordinary."

"And scary," Cassie added with a small nod.

"In other words, just like her mother."

Cassie merely sighed. "Not so much anymore."

"Don't sell yourself short."

She shook her head. "I don't dabble in darkness anymore."

"You expect me to believe that? C'mon, Cassie, I'm not a member of your Circle. You can tell me the truth."

"The _truth_," she echoed oddly. "Well, I guess that depends on who you ask."

Before I could ask what that meant, Jane shoved through the door and eyed the clock. "How much longer until the wake?"

Wow, so direct it cut straight to the bone. She raised a sun-burnished red brow at Cassie's hesitation before adding, "Or are we skipping it?"

Cassie's blue eyes flashed. "That's not an option." I saw how carefully she chose her words around Jane, who could see right through the mask of pain to Cassie's soul. Even as Cassie seemed to wither under her daughter's regard, she straightened up her slight frame and glanced at the clock. "You have 15 minutes. Make the best of it."

And with that, she left me with a slightly confused Jane, who merely shrugged before grabbing a bottle of water and heading upstairs to change. I shook my head, not needing to be a seer to know there was big trouble on the horizon.


	3. Chapter 3

3

[Jane]

I knew the moment my father entered the building. It hit me like a sonic missile, filling my head with a flurry of spectral voices, all chattering at top speed. He was graceful, something I hadn't inherited, though I had his eyes. This I could see from my little corner of the room, where I hid from the horde of people surrounding me. My red hair was tied back and stuffed under the black hat I favored, and I ignored my Mom's request to remove my sunglasses. "I choose not to," I said, for I wanted no undue attention. My Mom frowned, something she had turned into an art form, and Cousin Sam merely sighed in that way that all parents with recalcitrant children do.

The food was better than expected, and I noshed on some fruit and surveyed the room from behind my safe haven. Nobody seemed to guess who I was, and it afforded me a freedom I didn't normally enjoy. With my crazy hair and magical traits, I was a beacon for all sorts of oddballs, from stoners to goths to Satan worshippers. They came in all shapes and sizes, and ranged from loser classmates to the geriatric set that hung out at the coffee shop near our house where I worked. And then there was "Aunt" Sibyl, who I'd been warned about. The crazy woman who had somehow time traveled to the present and made a habit of creeping out the general population. She made her home in Chance Harbor, though she seemed to follow the craft fairs and plied her trade in a plain old canopy without mud flaps. She was a no frills kind of gal, and I admired that deep down. Didn't matter if she was crazy as a loon, she was the real deal. I had her number, but she also had mine. As soon as she arrived, she headed straight for me and I steeled myself mentally for her usual brand of probing.

"You shouldn't be here," she whispered, drawing me to one side as the oldest of Jake's sons pushed past us in a cloud of testosterone. He was far from my type, but I felt a weak pull nonetheless. "And you shouldn't jump on that."

I stifled a laugh. "Don't worry. No chance of that." And even as I said the words, I knew them to be a lie. Because it would piss everyone off, and I deserved a bit of fun after the crappy year I'd just had.

Sibyl started to speak but stopped abruptly when Sally's grandmother entered the scene. I knew Regina only from stories my Mom told me, but even so, I would know her anywhere. Such great power rarely existed anymore, and that she'd held on to it successfully all these years was a testament to her strength. As she moved closer, so did the darkness that emanated from her. Unlike my Mom, Regina had no problem using dark magic, from voodoo right down to the deadliest Satanic form that my Mom studied but never practiced. Regina stared at the two of us but she was more interested in me, and suddenly my little disguise laid me bare. "Why do you hide?" she asked mildly.

I shrugged. "I'm not ready to face them." Even as I said this, I glanced over Regina's shoulder at my father and my grandfather Ethan. Good looks ran in that family, and Ethan had imprinted all over his growing brood with his chiseled features and startling blue eyes. Those girls were my aunts, and they already had more power than my father Adam. He'd ignored his magical ability, but he wouldn't deny it much longer. For in the fight against the Balcoin Four (as Sam liked to call them), we'd need every bit of power. They were close, and their black hatred burned as they watched the festivities. I felt one of them enter and I whirled to face the entrance. I nudged Regina and pointed. "There."

It was Raven Balcoin, resplendent in her black suit and stylish boots. Dark curls cascaded down her back and her pale complexion was offset by black lipstick and heavily kohled eyes. She had the same cerulean blue eyes as my Mom, but the resemblance ended there. Where my Mom radiated peace and love, this woman was a deep well of darkness. Her cruel mouth twisted when she spotted me, and before I could escape, she was on me. Her ruby red fingertips swept off my hat and knocked my sunglasses askew. "You can't hide. We _all _know about you."

And apparently, so did the entire Conant clan. Adam and Ethan looked over at the commotion, but they only saw me. Recognition dawned right when all the doors to the house slammed shut. Regina pushed me back and only said, "You are not ready for this."

But oh, I was. Tired of being underestimated, I let loose a spell I'd been working on, one I'd stolen from Aunt Sibyl's Book of Shadows. It was guaranteed to raise the roof, and show the Balcoin bitch who had the upper hand.


End file.
